Nav equipment and electronics
HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT PART 7
Marine electronics have come a long way since the days when a log, depth sounder, VHF and GPS, or even Decca, were the norm for many boats. It’s now possible to spend the entire value of an older 25-30ft yacht on electronics and still not have a totally comprehensive system. So what are the best options for those who don’t want to splash large amounts of cash on gizmos?
What’s the least that you need to stay safe? My boat in Greece, which I keep to a very basic specification (as much as anything to reduce unnecessary time spent on maintenance) has only fixed and handheld VHFs, plus an EPIRB as dedicated equipment. Both the depth sounder and speed/distance log that I fitted when I bought the boat in 2001 gave up long ago and haven’t been replaced.
Of course it’s important to know the depth when anchoring, but if you approach reasonably slowly it can be fathomed with a lead line. I rarely anchor in more than 10-12m, so this doesn’t need to be particularly long and is therefore easy to use after a bit of practice.
Navigation is done on phone and tablet apps, with the hardware protected by waterproof and shockproof cases. As backup I still have steering and hand-bearing compasses, as well as paper
